Essence of Snowglobes
by Alchephiliac
Summary: His magic only worked upon those who accepted him fully. One!shot. DarkxRiku. Very fluffy.


**Note: **Out of the several DarkxRiku one!shots I have, this one is one of my particular favorites. It reflects most of the aspects as to why I love this pairing so much, therefore I wanted to share it with the rest of you.

This is taken from book #7, when Dark and Riku get sucked into Daisuke's painting. It's kind of an alternate scene.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters in this fic, I am not making any money, so please don't sue me. I am poor, I'm in college, I won't be able to pay you, anyway.

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**Essence of Snowglobes**

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This world wasn't supposed to be cold! He said so! It was just a dream world, right? So then why was she practically freezing to death?

If she ever got out of this predicament, she was going to kill him. Who cares if he was the all-cool and devastatingly gorgeous Phantom Thief Dark Mousy?

She'll kill him!

"Why did it get so cold!" Riku demanded out loud, words shaking through chattering teeth. "You said this was a dream world! That I couldn't feel anything here!"

"I don't know!" Dark retorted, his voice not as loud but just as frustrated as hers. He came here to look for Daisuke, and ended up taking Riku with him because the stubborn girl latched herself to the painting like she was one with the canvas. Of course, he could've explained the situation to her, but it's hard to make one's point clear if various inanimate objects were being flung toward him and barely missing. That girl had one hell of an aim!

"Whatever," Riku muttered, too cold to carry on the argument. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, struggling to keep as warm as possible. How was it that just mere moments ago, she couldn't feel the coldness of the snow at all? And then suddenly, a small storm burst down on top of them and now snowflakes were slicing through her with the equivalence of pinprick knives.

"I just can't believe I'm stuck here with you of all people," she continued to complain, talking mostly to keep her mind off the cold. "Creep. I wouldn't be surprised if all this is your fault."

Normally he took words with a grain of salt, but considering the current circumstances regarding as to _why_ they were here in the first place, Dark started to become irritated with her. He didn't want her here anymore than she wanted to be here! "Hey, beautiful, it's not _my_ fault that you're here with me!" he snapped, glaring at her. "If I remember correctly, _you_ were the one who wouldn't let go of the painting!"

"_You_ were the one who tried to steal in the first place!" Riku retorted. "Good grief, why can't you keep your kleptomaniac tendencies to yourself? I mean, it's one thing to go around snatching priceless items from museums but now you gotta target people's personal belongings too?"

She paused when she saw that Dark was staring at her with unblinking intensity. It was kind of creepy. "What?"

"You are amazing, you know that?" Dark remarked, still staring at her and his expression was almost in awe. "Really. You are."

For a moment she blinked at him, then snorted. "Puh-leeze. If you are trying to woe me by flattery and expect me to melt into a gushing puddle of goop because of it, you've got another thing coming, Klepty." She shrieked when a rush of icy wind nearly knocked her off her feet. And if she was cold before, she was now next to frost bit. She could barely even move her body was so stiff and numb.

Something heavy was placed around her shoulders and she was shocked to discover Dark had shed his black trench coat and put it on her. The material was soft and warm from his body heat and in spite of herself, she was snuggling deeper into it. _It's just because I'm practically frozen, _she told herself forcefully. _That's why I'm reacting this way. He probably stole this coat, too! It looks terribly expensive._

Then she realized the worst.

That jacket was the only top he had been wearing and now Dark was standing before her half-naked. She blushed heavily and refused to look at him. It…it was only logical that he would be built nice. One practically had to be in perfect shape to dodge all those cops while escaping, after all.

She was all too aware of him approaching her. Of his fingers sliding over her own--

"Hey! Get your larcenous hands off me, you freak!"

He held on tighter.

"Dark--!"

"There. Done."

She gawked when she held up her hands, revealing the oversized black gloves that covered them. Only then did she dare raise her eyes to him. He grinned at her. "I'd give you my pants, too, but I'm not _that_ nice," he said.

Her face flared. She…she couldn't believe he said that! That perv! Riku forced herself to stare at her shoes, hating the way she could feel her nose radiating heat between her eyes. "So…aren't you…aren't you cold?"

"Nah. I don't feel temperatures the same way you do."

It made sense, she supposed. On TV, Riku had seen the outfits Dark wore during his heists and it had amazed her how someone could run in so much material without fainting from heat stroke. He turned back around and resumed walking, Riku following several paces behind him. Now with his back turned, she allowed herself to look at him.

Mistake!

Wow, he had a nice back! Muscles rippling underneath the smooth skin, toned to perfection. A sleek spine that curved gracefully to…

Stop your eyes, Riku! Stop your eyes!

Too late.

Yeah. _That_ was nice, too. Round and totally squeezable, supported by a pair of strong thighs.

"Is it just me, dear Riku," he spoke up suddenly, still staring straight in front of him, "or are you checking me out?"

WHAT? Instead of denying it, she was so taken aback by his query that she blurted out, "Do you have eyes on the back of your head or something?"

Dark turned to face her, and the look he was giving her made her face turn several shades of red and even a hint of purple. "Sooooo," he drawled, leaning toward her, "you really were checking me out. You _do_ like me."

"DO NOT!" Riku shrieked, jumping away from him. "Just because you have a nice looking body doesn't mean anything!"

He cocked his head to one side. "It doesn't?"

"NO!"

"That's sad to hear."

Next thing she knew, his hand was brushing against her face, long fingers tenderly trailing her cheek. In spite of herself, she shivered and not because of the cold. She had been kissed by him once before. But he had her pinned to her bed during the time, and used his lips to silence her cries for help. The kiss did not last and a tiny part of her wished that it had.

Don't be stupid, Riku! This is Dark we're talking about here! Dark! You know. The pervert that practically forced himself upon you and would've done much more than that if he hadn't--

Wait. Why did he not go through with it? It was not like anybody had come to her rescue.

"Let's keep walking," Dark announced. Normally teasing a girl would be fun, but for some reason he just couldn't enjoy teasing Riku. Probably because of being stuck in Daisuke's painting. Something about being away from his other half was really starting to get to him. Even if being away from Daisuke prevented him from transforming in front of Riku. For the first time, he was able to be with Riku, face-to-face, without worrying about that stupid love gene switching him back.

"Slow down!" Riku yelled from behind him, breath coming out in heavy huffs, and it was then Dark realized that he was so lost in thought, he had started walking at a pace her shorter legs couldn't compete with.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Where are we going?"

"To find Daisuke."

"What?" she gasped. "Daisuke's here?"

"Yes."

She looked around desperately. "But where? This place probably goes on forever!"

"It does."

Riku stopped dead in her tracks, gawking at the Phantom Thief with disbelief. "What?"

"We're inside Daisuke's painting," Dark explained, not looking at her. "Inside a dream he created. Because of this, it stretches beyond eternity. He's trapped in here and I'm trying to save him. That's why I took your _precious_ painting."

He cringed when the word 'precious' came out as a soft snarl. It wasn't Riku's fault she had no idea he was Daisuke's other half. Dark himself longed to tell her, to let her know that in order to truly love Daisuke, she must love him as well. But without Daisuke here, there was no way he could prove it to her.

Was he jealous of Daisuke? How could one be jealous of his other half? If one hand received the most attention, would the other try to destroy it?

Yeah. Like that made sense.

"But why are you trying to save Daisuke, anyway?" Riku demanded. "How do you know Daisuke?"

He didn't answer.

Riku didn't like how silent Dark had suddenly become. First he was teasing her, and now he remained as talkative as the frozen trees they passed. As much as she had wanted him to shut up, now that he had…she didn't like it at all.

What was wrong with her? Her heart was pounding faster than normal and her face maintained it's blush. The gigantic coat that enclosed kept her warm enough that the cold have very little effect on her. His coat…

A tiny sound met her ears. She stopped to listen but when she heard nothing, she kept walking. She suddenly had the ominous feeling that they shouldn't be here at all. "Dark…?" she spoke up again, this time with every intention of telling him that maybe they should turn back.

The ice beneath them shattered before she could finish her sentence, and Riku plunged into the chilling water. All this time, they had been walking on a frozen pond of some sort? She struggled to push herself back up to the surface but the coat that had protected her against the cold now became her damnation as it dragged her deeper underwater. There was too much material and it twisted even further around her the more she tried to wiggle out of it. She looked for some sign of deliverance but she couldn't see anything. Nothing but darkness all around her…darkness…dark…

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Man, but her head was pounding! And her body was shaking violently. Something warm and heavy was wrapped around her but it was hardly enough to keep the cold away. A large, black coat…

Dark's coat! But how!

Riku sat up quickly and would've have flung the coat away had a hand not quickly placed itself on her shoulder. "I really wouldn't take that off, if I were you," Dark interjected sternly. It was then she realized that she was nestled in his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her as if to share any warmth he could spare.

She followed his violet gaze to her clothes drying a few feet away next to a small fire he had managed to create. "Thankfully, some of my magic still works in this world," Dark muttered, more to himself.

"You mean to tell me…" Riku began slowly, face nearly exploding with fury and embarrassment. "…that I'm NAKED under this coat?"

"Yes, you are," Dark said bluntly. "Aside from my coat, there is not a thread on your bare skin."

She was afraid of that.

"You really are a sick pervert!" she screamed, outraged at his audacity.

"And you were on the verge of death," he shot back. "Remember, Riku, you just fell into ice water and almost drowned. If you had kept those clothes on, you would've died. What else was I supposed to do?"

"You could've woken me up!"

"You were passed out! I had no idea if you were even going to wake up at all! Don't forget, Riku, that you are very much capable of dying in this world as you are in your own!"

She didn't reply, feeling tears sting her eyes. Dark had seen her naked. He had seen her _naked! _She really was going to have to kill him now. And in an isolated place such as this, hiding the body and destroying the evidence wouldn't be very difficult.

Then again, would killing the Legendary Phantom Thief Dark be murder or charity? He was a criminal, after all.

"Riku," Dark spoke up. "I promise you that I didn't do anything to you. I couldn't. I don't get a rise out of girls who are dying, naked or not. I swear, I only did what was necessary to keep you alive." Indeed, even as he was stripping her, all he could think was, _Don't die on me, Riku! You gotta wake up! C'mon, you stubborn girl, wake up!_

Riku still wasn't comfortable, but she felt better knowing that he didn't do anything to her. She certainly didn't feel violated, at any rate. Even so, sitting on his lap wearing only his coat--

"Hey, wait, your coat's completely dry!" Riku cried. "How is that? I was wearing it when I fell in the ice! As a matter of fact, this coat was the reason I couldn't swim back out!"

"I managed to dry it with magic," he replied.

"And yet you can't dry my clothes with magic?" she hollered.

Dark sighed deeply, shaking his head. "You forget that we are no longer in the physical world, Riku. Everything that belongs to us, in this world, is now a part of us. I could dry my coat using my magic because it's a _part_ of me. But your clothes are a part of _you_. And I can't use my magic on another unless they have accepted me fully."

It sounded like a lame other-worldly excuse to her, and yet at the same time, she believed him! ARRRGGH! Well, she supposed she could give him the benefit of a doubt. He did save her life, after all. And he didn't seem to be affected by the freezing wintry snowglobe they were stuck in at the least. She had to admit that she kind of liked being here with him. Dark was turning out to not be such a bad guy after all.

Give me a break! He's a THEIF!

A gusty breeze suddenly barreled on top of them, and she clung to Dark to keep from literally blowing away. In spite of herself, she cuddled closer to him than necessary. The way he held her, so gentle and protective, she didn't ever want to let him go. It was stupid…but it was also true.

However, it wasn't enough for the moment.

The breeze left, but the chilling cold remained and this time even his coat could do nothing against it. "Here," Dark whispered, and placed something in her hand. "Though it might not work."

Riku opened her fingers to reveal a shiny black feather. For a moment, she stared at it in slight confusion until it started to glow. Soft and faint, a beautiful violet glow appeared along the ebony bristles and instantly a warmth, full and almost loving, filled her entire being, melting away the snow and ice from the inside out. Dark was staring at her, gaping in utter amazement.

The magic, _his_ magic, was working on her.

-End-

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